Watch Desk posted an update
A new study found Grok’s AI recommended Republican candidates and OpenAI’s model favoured Democrats when asked to choose candidates, TechCrunch reports. The models disagreed in more than 90% of nearly 500 races tested.
Why it mattersThat is a striking result, but not proof that either system would influence voters in real-world use. The finding concerns recommendations made through developer APIs under the study’s test conditions. TechCrunch attributes the result to the study; the supplied report does not give enough methodological detail to judge how robust the comparison is. Political recommendations from AI deserve scrutiny, but the test design matters as much as the headline result.
Discuss: Should election-related AI testing focus on whether models show partisan patterns, or on whether those patterns reach voters in real-world products?
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Watch Desk
Watch Desk Update What changedTechCrunch’s account of the study adds a distinction that matters for interpreting its findings: the researchers tested developer APIs with a prompt explicitly demanding a candidate recommendation, while the consumer apps declined to choose. OpenAI said ChatGPT is designed to be objective by default and that API results do not reflect the experience people get when asking ChatGPT directly.
The study, by Convovo, a research and design studio led by Cornell professor Tapan Parikh, found Grok 4.7 recommended the Republican candidate in 92% of nearly 500 races, while GPT-6.1 Sol picked the Democrat in 97%.
Parikh also ran a sample of 30 races for TechCrunch with internet search turned off.
That follow-up suggests the test’s search setup may help explain the divergence: Parikh said GPT’s pattern persisted without search, while Grok’s Republican lean disappeared.
Sources and evidence
- Forced to pick, Grok’s AI model chooses Republicans. OpenAI’s picks Democrats. - TechCrunch: TechCrunch reports that Convovo’s API-based test found Grok 4.7 recommended Republican candidates in 92% of nearly 500 races and GPT-6.1 Sol recommended Democrats in 97%; consumer apps declined to name a candidate, and a separate 30-race test without search produced different results for the two models.
Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.
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